


maybe we're fireproof

by chatsdelune (greymooses)



Category: SEVENTEEN (Band)
Genre: 5+1 Things, Alternate Universe - Firefighters, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Kim Mingyu is Whipped, M/M, POV Alternating, Strangers to Lovers, animal rescues!, author's worst enemy: dialogue tags, bi!jihoon agenda rise, jihoon has a job i'm sure but fucked if i know what it is, junhui is a good wingman, t for language mostly this is peak soft idiots, way more concise than my other one go me, woncheol if you squint extremely hard
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-14
Updated: 2020-09-14
Packaged: 2021-03-07 04:56:12
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,967
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26467561
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/greymooses/pseuds/chatsdelune
Summary: jun's stupid cat runs up a tree, jihoon has a bi awakening, ducks are not the smartest creatures, and mingyu is weak. in approximately that order.(5 times jihoon calls the fire station, 1 time mingyu calls him)
Relationships: Kim Mingyu/Lee Jihoon | Woozi
Comments: 10
Kudos: 123





	maybe we're fireproof

**Author's Note:**

> hello i apologize for the title and also all of this i have no idea what happened but i'm still avoiding my hellbeast wip.
> 
> i don't know shit about the minutiae of firefighters, though i do know they refused to help me when my cat was stuck in a tree. beyond that, i'm sorry if i horribly offend someone. it's unedited like almost everything i write, but i blame henggarae mingyu like did you [see](https://pbs.twimg.com/media/EhWLgW6XgAE1CGf.jpg) [him](https://pbs.twimg.com/media/EhWLgmXWAAIvEQY.jpg)? featuring [this woozi](https://pbs.twimg.com/media/EhWONb6XsAIkM4q.jpg). i'm sorry, mingyu, you never had a chance.

"fire department."

"hey, um, my neighbor's cat is stuck in a tree behind our building. he's like three stories up and i think he's too stupid to figure out how to get down. it's really fu— cold outside, and he's been up there for hours, so my neighbor is starting to freak out. can you guys help?"

"we don't usually."

"oh."

"but i'm off work in a couple minutes and have nothing better to do. what's the address?"

the guy on the phone rattles it off and mingyu promises to be there in ten. he slips into his leather jacket in front of his locker, grabs his bag, and slides down the pole.

it's faster than the stairs. his lieutenant definitely notices.

"you're in a hurry. got a date?"

"green isn't your color, cheol-ah," he calls over his shoulder. "just ask him out."

"no idea what you're talking about, mingyu-ssi!"

the address is on his way home. they really don't usually deal with cats in trees, contrary to public expectation. too many risks to the squad, cats are good climbers who always land on their feet, and cat _owners_ are often more than a little insane. the guy wasn't the owner, though, so mingyu figures it's probably an actual borderline emergency. he expects to get there, climb the tree, and still be home in time for his favorite show.

he doesn't expect the guy waiting for him to be fucking _ethereal_.

mingyu wants to ask, "what kind of fairytale did you come out of?" — because he's got the prettiest silver-white, wavy hair hanging in his eyes and an undercut and he's _tiny_. barely reaches mingyu's shoulders. granted he's tall, so his definition of "tiny" is a little warped, but still. instead, he says, "you called about the cat?"

"hm? oh, yeah. he's back here," the guy jerks a thumb over his shoulder then starts walking.

mingyu follows him around the building to find a man he presumes is the cat owner standing next to a tree. he's clicking his tongue and moving his fingers against the tree trunk like they're paws, as if the cat will somehow have a light-bulb moment.

"junnie, the firefighter is here."

the guy turns, does a very obvious scan of mingyu's body — and okay, he's wearing a tight shirt under his open jacket, but it's still weirdly invasive — and says, "you don't have a ladder."

"correct. is the cat going to attack me when i get up there?" mingyu asks, removing a hoodie from his backpack and switching it out for his jacket. he's _not_ about to climb a tree in leather.

"he's usually very sweet," the angelic being chimes in. he looks more nervous than the owner.

mingyu assesses the tree he's working with. it's good enough; the branches are evenly spaced and look like they'll hold his weight. "only one way to find out."

"how are you—" the owner starts, but it's cut off when mingyu grips at the bark and hauls himself up a few feet to where he can reach the lowest branch. after that, all it takes is a pull up and he's golden. adrenaline kicks in at some point in the process and before he knows it, he's back on the ground with a yowling cat in his hoodie pocket.

phone guy is staring at him. "how the fuck did you do that?"

"i climbed a lot of trees as a kid?" mingyu shrugs. he hands the cat over to the owner, who thanks him profusely. "it's colder up there, and cats are supposed to have higher body temperatures than us, but he feels cool to me. try to make sure he has a warm place to sleep tonight."

the owner nods. "hoonie, i'm going to bring him inside." to mingyu, he shyly but politely bows his head and says, "thank you. sorry about the ladder comment," then walks off cooing at the cat in his arms.

mingyu pulls his hoodie over his head and exchanges it for his jacket again. phone guy — hoonie? — continues to stare. "thanks for" — he waves his hand at the tree — "that. i've been tearing my hair out all afternoon."

"no problem. you were on my way home."

"well. jun is way more appreciative than he let on. he loves that cat so much it eats better than he does."

"it's really not a big deal. i'm glad i could help. if the cat is still lethargic and cold later tonight, he should really see an emergency vet."

"roger that. thanks again."

mingyu sort of… malfunctions. it's the only excuse for why he doesn't ask for dinner or his name or hand in marriage. he just smiles brightly, nods, and leaves.

he's halfway home when he hears seokmin's deadpan voice in his head. _cat got your tongue, huh?_

🐾🐾🐾

"fire department."

"hi, this is so stupid—"

it's been a week since the cat in the tree. mingyu still thinks about the guy, almost hopes he'll run into him on his way home one day since they live in the same neighborhood. so when the voice on the other end of the phone is familiar, he perks up in his chair.

"—but there's a duckling stuck in a storm drain outside my building. i called a wildlife rescue and they said—"

"they don't have the tools. we do."

"yeah. can you help?"

"i can grab a couple guys and come over. same place as last time?"

"um, yeah. you remember that?"

"i don't climb trees every day. i'm not eight anymore." _also you're the most adorable person i've ever seen_ goes unsaid, for obvious reasons.

"right, i guess not. i'll see you soon i guess."

"yep."

mingyu finds seungcheol and seokmin playing a heated game of cards. seungcheol has a pout on his face. one glance at his hand and mingyu knows he's losing.

"got a duckling in a storm drain a couple blocks away. you guys up for it?"

seokmin's face brightens considerably and he drops his cards. "i'll get the tools!" he almost bounces to the pole, and then he's gone.

seungcheol sighs and stands. he's either relieved he doesn't have to lose or exhausted from being in seokmin's presence. possibly both. "we can take the van."

"you don't have to come, boss. i can ask wonwoo," mingyu suggests, though he realizes he hasn't seen wonwoo in a bit.

"he's napping. working a double."

"you ask him out yet?"

"thanks for volunteering to be the one to go in the storm drain, mingyu-ssi."

"i didn't," mingyu whines.

seungcheol claps him on the shoulder and playfully pushes him towards the pole with a quiet laugh. seokmin is waiting for them at the bottom with an array of prying and lifting tools, knee-high boots meant for wading already on his feet.

mingyu points. "i think seokmin's volunteering to go down."

"to rescue a duckling? yes, please."

seungcheol grabs a couple tools to load into the truck. "as long as it's not me, i don't care."

🐾🐾🐾

"fire department."

there's a pause, then, "hey. does anyone else ever answer the phone?"

"sometimes," mingyu replies. "have you always been a magnet for animals in crisis?" he's genuinely curious, because this is the third call in a little over a week. he's definitely _not_ flirting.

"it's another duckling."

"they really aren't the smartest sometimes. same drain?"

"yeah, same drain."

"okay, be there soon."

"thanks."

he rounds up seokmin and wonwoo this time, because seungcheol is on a call with some other departments. seokmin volunteers to go down into the drain again, which is fine with him.

duckling guy is waiting outside, sitting on the curb next to the drain with his knees pulled inside his hoodie and a baseball cap backwards on his head. it's a very different look and mingyu does a double-take, but it's definitely him and mingyu's definitely not against it. he waves when they approach.

mingyu's chest does a thing. "hey, seok, you think he's gay?" he whispers.

"we don't have time for this conversation, but for you? yes," seokmin replies quickly, then plasters a smile on his face.

the duckling chirps sadly below them, and seokmin starts calling to it while wonwoo puts cones down around the area to give them room. the guy could take off and go back to whatever he was doing with his life, but he doesn't. he stays, and mingyu thinks he feels eyes on him every once in a while, but he tries to ignore it and do his job.

🐾🐾🐾

junhui looks appalled. "no, you can't chase my cat up the tree!"

"what else does the fire department do that isn't putting out fires?"

"do i look like a search engine?"

jihoon searches for a few things until he finds a useful page of information. "what if you get your head stuck in the bars of the railing outside?"

"are you serious? do you hear yourself?"

"go pull the fire alarm downstairs?"

"jihoon."

"messing with hydrants is illegal, right?"

"yes, i think so. what's your goal here anyway? i thought you were straight."

jihoon is surrounded by friends in the building who are all over the spectrum of sexuality and not shy about it. he's never had a problem with that, he just never thought to question his own preferences until he witnessed an extremely attractive firefighter climb a tree and it became impossible to _not_.

"i did, too, but apparently not. did you see his _hands_? i kind of want to—"

junhui wrinkles his nose and plugs his ears with his fingers. "stop! there are things i don't need to know and fantasies influenced by your newly discovered bisexuality are on the list. you could go to the station."

"you tell me about your sexual exploits _in detail_ ," jihoon whines. "and isn't that kind of aggressive?"

"chasing an innocent animal up a tree isn't?"

jihoon considers it for half a second, but there's no way he can just stroll into a fire station and ask for… whom, exactly? he doesn't even know his _name_. "no, i can't go to the station," he sighs.

junhui reaches over and pats his knee cautiously. "if it's meant to be, you'll see him again."

🐾🐾🐾

"mingyu."

"yeah, boss?"

"why are you reading about duckling season?"

mingyu bites the inside of his cheek and tries to come up with a lie.

"that guy," seokmin interjects.

"what guy?" seungcheol asks.

great.

"there's no guy," mingyu denies.

"the duckling guy," seokmin informs seungcheol.

"ohhhh. he was hot."

mingyu snaps his head around before he can stop himself. seokmin tries to keep a straight face, but seungcheol snorts and it's all downhill from there. they both snap back to serious when the phone rings, saving them both for some indefinite period of time. mingyu spins back in his chair and picks up.

"fire department."

"unbelievable. do you ever go home?"

"my plants would tell you no, but i swear i do. what's up? please don't tell me you have another poor duckling." seokmin taps him on the shoulder obnoxiously and raises an eyebrow. he tries to ignore it.

"there's a hydrant in front of my place that's making scary noises and leaking."

"that's more a city problem, we only flush them periodically. i can give you their number."

"oh." he sounds almost disappointed. "yeah, okay, i'm ready."

mingyu reads the number off from the list taped next to the phone. "sometimes one of the guys over there tries to pass problems off to us. if he does, drop my lieutenant's name. choi seungcheol. he's terrified of him." he says it mostly to taunt an eavesdropping seungcheol, but it's the truth, so whatever.

"will do. thanks."

"no problem. bye."

it doesn't take long for the chorus of drawn out _ooooh_ s to start behind him. mingyu hides his face in his hands but he can feel his ears heat up anyway. his squad is his family. they read him like a book. it's a great benefit in emergencies and a complete pain in the ass the rest of the time.

"you two," a voice grumbles behind them all. mingyu picks his head up and turns again to see wonwoo, standing in the doorway of the small bunk room, for god only knows how long. "leave him alone. seungcheol, get in here. seokmin, go help jisoo with dinner."

seungcheol and seokmin leave mingyu's orbit immediately. it's not that wonwoo ranks higher than any of them — he doesn't — but his voice is deeper than hell and absolutely terrifying when he's not quite awake yet. people tend to listen, especially seungcheol, who — if the way he puts his hand on wonwoo's back is any indication — seems to have no right to badger him about crushes.

🐾🐾🐾

it's late when the bell in the station rings, signaling a fire alarm going off somewhere in their area of coverage. there's a flurry of activity as most of them suit up. jisoo relays the address to wonwoo while mingyu counts their oxygen tanks — just to be sure — and then they're off.

the good news is there doesn't seem to be any smoke coming from the building they slow down in front of. but mingyu feels panic lodge itself in his throat, and seokmin nudges his boot, evidently having the same thought: they've been here before.

"mingyu, check in with the residents. i'll take everyone else and clear the building, unless you want seok? it looks like a false alarm."

seokmin nods at him, so mingyu says, "i'll take him, thanks."

they split up and comb through the people, asking if there are animals inside and trying to determine if anyone is unaccounted for. mingyu's anxiety climbs steadily until he finds a head of silver hair, bowed over a pair of knees next to the tree he climbed the first time he came here. he's wearing shorts and a t-shirt, folded into a tight ball.

the weather is on the cool side. most people at least have long sleeves. mingyu jogs back to the truck for a blanket.

the neighbor mingyu remembers as jun has found the guy in the meantime, and is sitting next to him — cat in a carrier on his other side and an arm around his friend's shoulders — by the time mingyu makes his way back.

jun looks up first. his mouth twitches and he says, "we have to stop meeting like this."

mingyu hums in agreement and unfolds the blanket. "shouldn't take much longer, but i brought you guys this."

duckling guy looks up from under his bangs. "you didn't have to—"

"it's my job," he offers reassuringly, draping it around their shoulders, then decides _fuck it_. "i'm mingyu, by the way."

jun smirks and points to himself, the cat, and duckling guy as he lists off their names. "jun, gamja, and that's jihoon."

"cute," mingyu says without thinking, because he's a colossal dumbass.

a laugh bursts out of jun and he clamps his hand over his mouth.

"the cat's name, i mean—"

he runs into burning buildings for a living. this shouldn't be so difficult.

"you're sticking with that?" jun asks, raising an eyebrow. "okay, well, thanks. he seems to like it."

seokmin strolls up behind him, because seokmin has the worst timing in the world. "gyu, looks like everyone is out. seungcheol has been trying to get you on the radio for the last—" he interrupts himself when he notices mingyu giving him a pointed look. "hey, catboy, want to make out?" 

mingyu watches as jun considers it for ten seconds or so. he shrugs, then gets up and sprints away. it's a weird moment that happens entirely too fast, and then seokmin is gone, too, and jihoon is staring at the cat in the abandoned carrier next to him. "this is the weirdest night," he mumbles.

"can i make it weirder?" mingyu asks, because… again, fuck it.

"not sure how that's possible."

"can i call you some time?"

"you're right, it got weirder." he holds the blanket around his shoulders with one hand and pushes himself off the ground with the other. "do you always hit on people you meet at scenes?"

"you're the first, actually."

jihoon's head is tipped back. he's staring, and he does it for a few seconds. the cat meows and he sighs, then holds out his hand. "you have a phone in there somewhere?"

🐾🐾🐾

"hello?"

"it's mingyu."

"last night really happened, then?"

"is that okay?"

"i tried to get jun to stick his head between the bars of the railing outside so i would have an excuse to see you."

"is that a yes?"

"all those fires have melted your ability to pick up on subtext."

"i picked you up just fine. that's all that matters."

he sounds like he's barely holding back a laugh. jihoon groans. "what do you want?"

"to take you to dinner tonight."

it occurs to jihoon that he's never really seen mingyu in plain clothes. it's too good to turn down. "come by at six."

"it's a date."

🐾🐾🐾

it would've been, at least, if mingyu hadn't shown up at his door with a black button up with too many buttons undone, tucked into blue jeans, all with a black blazer and his hair— looking like an absolute god, is all that's important.

jihoon takes one look at him and it feels like he blacks out for a second. the next thing he knows he's on his toes and mingyu's arms — _ridiculous_ arms, and jihoon's aren't exactly twigs — are pulling him against his chest as he kisses the life out of him.

probably a good thing firefighters know cpr, he thinks.

so maybe they don't make it out, but they order chicken to eat on the couch and it's better than any restaurant would've been, anyway.

**Author's Note:**

> 1\. sorry about the ending fr i went way over my self-imposed word limit on this.  
> 2\. it's 24h mingyu bc how could it not be ([x](https://pbs.twimg.com/media/EhnBcfgWkAAmZ-w.jpg))  
> 3\. if seokjunhao are fucking in this universe, no one has to know. shh it's a secret.  
> 4\. thank you for reading this mess of a brain dump.  
> 5\. it's not technically five calls made by jihoon, it was 4 and a false alarm where his building called, but ~aesthetic~ or something. sorry if you were counting and feel betrayed.  
> 6\. i keep editing this but i'd like to add another brief note about the whole bi reveal thing. i wrote it originally as more in depth and like... Thoughtful™, but it felt too heavy for the rest of it, so it got reworked. i'm bi, i'm not trying to make it a flippant thing. much respect for the struggles people go through. but this jihoon is older, relatively confident in his identity and life, and has a support system. when you're starting from stable ground, realizing "huh maybe i'm not as straight as i thought" really doesn't have to be a big deal, and all it takes is one person to make you realize. which is why it's a very brief thing and doesn't totally break his brain. much love to anyone who _is_ struggling for whatever reason. <3


End file.
